TANGENTIAL: Synonyms and Related Words. What is Another Word for TANGENTIAL?

Need another word that means the same as “tangential”? Find 13 synonyms and 30 related words for “tangential” in this overview.

The synonyms of “Tangential” are: digressive, secondary, subsidiary, incidental, marginal, minor, unimportant, lesser, inessential, immaterial, superficial, ancillary, borderline

Tangential as an Adjective

Definitions of "Tangential" as an adjective

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “tangential” as an adjective can have the following definitions:

• Diverging from a previous course or line; erratic.
• Hardly touching a matter; peripheral.
• Relating to or along a tangent.
• Of superficial relevance if any.
• Of or relating to or acting along or in the direction of a tangent.

Synonyms of "Tangential" as an adjective (13 Words)

ancillary	Providing necessary support to the primary activities or operation of an organization, system, etc. An ancillary pump.
borderline	Only just acceptable in quality or as belonging to a category. Borderline grades.
digressive	Characterized by digression; tending to depart from the subject. Amusingly digressive with satirical thrusts at women s fashions among other things.
immaterial	(often followed by `to’) lacking importance; not mattering one way or the other. Immaterial apparitions.
incidental	Following or accompanying as a consequence. Incidental expenses.
inessential	Not basic or fundamental. Inessential information.
lesser	Used in names of animals and plants which are smaller than similar kinds e g lesser spotted woodpecker lesser celandine. The lesser anteater.
marginal	(of a parliamentary or council seat) held by a small majority and therefore at risk in an election. It seems likely to make only a marginal difference.
minor	Of a premise containing the minor term in a categorical syllogism. Minor back roads.
secondary	Having a reversible chemical reaction and therefore able to store energy. The lead acid accumulator used in cars consists of secondary cells.
subsidiary	(of a company) controlled by a holding or parent company. A subsidiary flue of the main chimney.
superficial	Concerned with or comprehending only what is apparent or obvious; not deep or penetrating emotionally or intellectually. He had only the most superficial knowledge of foreign countries.
unimportant	Lacking in importance or significance. The question seems unimportant.

Usage Examples of "Tangential" as an adjective

• Tangential thoughts.
• A tangential remark.
• The reforms were tangential to efforts to maintain a basic standard of life.
• A tangential line.

Associations of "Tangential" (30 Words)

away	Out of the way especially away from one s thoughts. They walked away from the vicarage in silence.
daydream	Indulge in a daydream. Stop daydreaming and pay attention.
digress	Lose clarity or turn aside especially from the main subject of attention or course of argument in writing, thinking, or speaking. I have digressed a little from my original plan.
digressive	Characterized by digression; tending to depart from the subject. Amusingly digressive with satirical thrusts at women s fashions among other things.
discursive	Digressing from subject to subject. Students often write dull second hand discursive prose.
distract	Divert one’s attention from something unpleasant by doing something different or more pleasurable. I tried to distract myself by concentrating on Jane.
except	Take exception to. Five classes of advertisement are excepted from control.
excursive	Tending to depart from the main point or cover a wide range of subjects. His excursive remarks.
extraction	The ethnic origin of someone’s family. The dentist gave her a local anesthetic prior to the extraction.
fancied	Formed or conceived by the imagination. A fancied wrong.
fanciful	Not based on fact; unreal- F.D.Roosevelt. A fanciful pattern with intertwined vines and flowers.
fictitious	Not real or true; imaginary or fabricated. A fictitious address.
idealistic	Characterized by idealism; unrealistically aiming for perfection. Idealistic young doctors who went to work for the rebels.
imaginary	A number of the form a+bi where a and b are real numbers and i is the square root of -1. A small child s imaginary friends.
immaterial	(often followed by `to’) lacking importance; not mattering one way or the other. Whether you choose to do it or not is a matter that is quite immaterial or indifferent.
improbable	Too improbable to admit of belief. The characters have improbable names.
inapplicable	Not capable of being applied. Rules inapplicable to day students.
incommensurate	Out of keeping or proportion with. Man s influence on the earth s surface seems incommensurate with his scale.
indirect	(of costs) deriving from overhead charges or subsidiary work. Though his methods are indirect they are not dishonest.
insubstantial	Lacking strength and solidity. Vinyl siding has become the standard bearer for cheap insubstantial construction.
irrelevant	Not connected with or relevant to something. An irrelevant comment.
meandering	Following a winding course. A florid and rather meandering melody.
moot	A mock judicial proceeding set up to examine a hypothetical case as an academic exercise. He organized the weekly moot.
rambling	Spreading out in different directions or distributed irregularly. Rambling roses.
roam	Use a mobile phone on another operator’s network, typically while abroad. The cattle roam across the prairie.
sidetrack	A short stretch of railroad track used to store rolling stock or enable trains on the same line to pass. The horse took a sidetrack which led uphill.
unsuitable	Not meant or adapted for a particular purpose. The movie is unsuitable for children.
visionary	Relating to or having the ability to see visions in a dream or trance, or as a supernatural apparition. A visionary leader.
wandering	Travelling aimlessly from place to place; itinerant. The river followed its wandering course.
winding	The act of winding or twisting. A winding country road.